Existing comment:
Phyllis Diller premiered her stage persona on television in the fall of 1952 with the show Phyllis Dillis, The Homely Friendmaker, a twist on the idea of the "happy homemaker." Performing with fright wigs and outrageous costumes, Diller delivered rapid-fire, sharp jokes and one-liners -- with a cackling laugh -- about her life as a bad housewife.
Diller's comic persona played against the stereotypical notions of her era that being a woman meant being a beautiful, selfless wife and nurturing mother. Audiences laughed at, and with, Diller as her comedy acknowledged the discord between idealized and real-life experiences. |